Development and evaluation of urea formaldehyde resin-modified poly(vinyl alcohol)-based biocomposites reinforced with Corchorus olitorius cellulose microfiber

This study aimed to investigate the effects of thermosetting urea formaldehyde (UF) resin on thermoplastic poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) biocomposites. Cellulose microfiber (CMF) was prepared from the extracted cellulose of jute fibers (Corchorus olitorius) using a mechanical ball milling technique, and the resulting material was used as a reinforcing ingredient to produce biocomposites. CMF was characterized by attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR), particle size measurement, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Biodegradable PVA-based sustainable green biocomposites were prepared with different CMF loadings (0%–10 % in weight) by the solution casting technique. UF resins with seven different wt% (ranging from 0.5 % to 10 %) were added to thermoplastic PVA to enhance the interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) of UF-PVA sheets via the casting technique. Furthermore, seven different wt% of CMF and UF (ranging from 0.5 % to 10 %) were mixed with PVA to produce CMF-UF-PVA biocomposites. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), SEM, ATR-FTIR, and tensile property investigations were conducted to characterize the products. The effectiveness of UF in the biocomposites was evaluated through the comparative characterization of neat PVA and UF-PVA, CMF-PVA, and CMF-UF-PVA biocomposites. The results indicate that the tensile strength of the biocomposites produced from 1 wt% UF, 1 wt% CMF, and 98 wt% PVA significantly improved by 118 % compared to the neat PVA matrix and all other biocomposites. Additionally, the biodegradability test results indicate that the CMF-UF-PVA biocomposite is more biodegradable than neat PVA. Therefore, compared to neat PVA, the CMF-UF-PVA biocomposite is more environmentally beneficial and sustainable.